Dwayne Eric May 1961 - 2009

This is the saddest post that I have ever made. On Friday, May 29th, Dwayne passed away in Troncones. He did not suffer. Dwayne leaves behind a huge following of friends and fans. Christian hosted a memorial last night at Cafe Sol and it was attended by many of Dwayne's friends, locals and expatriates alike. There was not a dry eye in the house.

Dwayne was the heart, in the true sense of the word, at La Cocina del Sol. He made sure that all of his team was happy and taken care of, he also cared for his many clients and friends that came to enjoy his cooking and TLC. He rarely missed work and would come in on his days off to make sure that everything was as it should be. Dwayne's BBQ day was the most popular in all of Mexico, he always said that it was his favorite day of the week.

Dwayne, was a sweet man and a good person. He never failed to give August and Evita treats, and made sure that Estrella was so fat during the season that it took her all summer every summer to trim down. He never complained and was never judgemental or prejudiced in any way: a lovely friend and an integral part of the Eden family

The following is written by Christian:

Dwayne Eric May was born October 28th 1961 in Berkeley, CA. He attended Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Ca. He went on to Santa Rosa Junior College and then received a scholarship for football to Texas Christian University. Dwayne was a two year letterman in football, playing a wide receiver, at TCU and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1985.

After College Dwayne began working in Forth Worth, TX, area restaurants. He was an apprentice to Phillipe Lecoq at the Restaurant Le Chardonnay, where he received his first formal training in 1989.

Later Dwayne moved to Hartford, CT where he was a restaurant Chef. The next stop was Los Angeles, CA where he worked for notable Chefs: Michel Richard, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger and Kazuto Matsusaka. Starting 1999 he was the Chef of NFL football player Keyshawn Johnson's highly regarded restaurant Reign.

In 2002 he moved to Troncones, Mexico and became the Chef of his longtime best friend, Christian Schirmer's restaurant La Cocina del Sol. It was here, that Dwayne became an icon and well known locals and visitors alike. His Sunday BBQ-s were known world wide. His time here was spent doing what he loved and enjoying the community. Dwayne was never married and had no children. He is survived by his parents, John Edward and Rose May of Santa Rosa, CA, as well as his brother Darrin May of Sacramento, CA and his sister Melanie.

Jim has chosen this poem:

The corn is sown again, it grows;
The stars burn out, the darkness goes;
The rhythms change, they do not close.

They change, and we, who pass like foam,
Like dust blown through the streets of Rome,
Change ever, too; we have no home,

But gathering as we stray, a sense
Of Life, so lovely and intense,
It lingers when we wander hence,

That those who follow feel behind
Their backs, when all before is blind,
Our joy, a rampart to the mind.

from The Passing Strange by John Masefield